Multi-level redundant cooling system for continuous cooling of an electronic system(s)

ABSTRACT

A cooling system is provided to remove heat generated by one or more electronic systems. The cooling system includes a coolant-based cooling apparatus, redundant pumping units, redundant backup blowers, and multiple separate controllers. The cooling apparatus includes one or more heat exchange assemblies discharging heat from coolant of the cooling apparatus, and the redundant pumping units, which are coupled in parallel fluid communication, separately facilitate pumping of the coolant. The redundant backup blowers are disposed to provide, when activated, backup airflow across the electronic system(s). The multiple controllers control operation of the redundant pumping units and redundant backup blowers based, at least in part, on one or more sensed parameters. The redundant backup blowers are activated responsive to the sensed parameter(s) exceeding a set threshold to provide backup cooling to the electronic system(s) in the event of degraded performance of the cooling apparatus or the redundant pumping units.

BACKGROUND

The power dissipation of integrated circuit chips, and the modulescontaining the chips, continues to increase in order to achieveincreases in processor performance. This trend poses cooling challengesat the module, system, rack and data center levels.

In many large server applications, processors along with theirassociated electronics (e.g., memory, disk drives, power supplies, etc.)are packaged in removable drawer configurations stacked within anelectronics rack or frame comprising information technology (IT)equipment. In other cases, the electronics may be in fixed locationswithin the rack or frame. Conventionally, the components have beencooled by air moving in parallel airflow paths, usually front-to-back,impelled by one or more air moving devices (e.g., fans or blowers). Insome cases it has been possible to handle increased power dissipationwithin a single drawer or system by providing greater airflow, forexample, through the use of more powerful air moving devices or byincreasing the rotational speed (i.e., RPMs) of existing air movingdevices. However, this approach is becoming problematic, particularly inthe context of a computer center installation (i.e., data center).

The sensible heat load carried by the air exiting the rack(s) isstressing the capability of the room air-conditioning to effectivelyhandle the load. This is especially true for large installations with“server farms” or large banks of computer racks located close together.In such installations, liquid-cooling is an attractive technology tomanage the higher heat fluxes. The liquid absorbs the heat dissipated bythe components/modules in an efficient manner. Typically, the heat isultimately transferred from the liquid coolant to a heat sink, whetherair or other liquid.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantagesare provided through the provision, in one aspect, of a cooling systemcomprising a coolant-based cooling apparatus, redundant pumping units,redundant backup blowers, and multiple separate controllers. Thecoolant-based cooling apparatus is configured to assist in removal ofheat generated by one or more electronic systems, and includes at leastone heat exchange assembly to discharge heat from coolant of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus. The redundant pumping units facilitatepumping of the coolant through the coolant-based cooling apparatus toassist in removal of heat generated by the electronic system(s), anddischarge of the heat via the at least one heat exchange assembly. Theredundant pumping units are coupled to the coolant-based coolingapparatus in parallel fluid communication to separately provide pumpingof the coolant through the cooling apparatus. The redundant backupblowers are disposed to provide, when activated, a backup airflow acrossthe one or more electronic systems to facilitate backup airflow coolingthereof. The multiple separate controllers control operation of theredundant pumping units and the redundant backup blowers based, at leastin part, on one or more sensed parameters. At least one controller ofthe multiple separate controllers activate the redundant backup blowersresponsive to the one or more sensed parameters exceeding a setthreshold, and the redundant backup blowers provide, at least in part,backup airflow cooling to the one or more electronic systems in theevent of a degraded performance of the coolant-based cooling apparatusor the redundant pumping units.

In another aspect, a cooled electronics assembly is provided whichincludes an electronics rack comprising one or more electronic systems,and a cooling system for cooling the electronic system(s). The coolingsystem includes a coolant-based coolant apparatus, redundant pumpingunits, redundant backup blowers, and multiple separate controllers. Thecoolant-based cooling apparatus is configured to assist in removal ofheat generated by the one or more electronic systems, and includes atleast one heat exchange assembly to discharge heat from coolant of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus. The redundant pumping units facilitatepumping of the coolant through the coolant-based cooling apparatus toassist in removal of heat generated by the electronic system(s), anddischarge of the heat via the at least one heat exchange assembly. Theredundant pumping units are coupled to the coolant-based coolingapparatus in parallel fluid communication to separately provide pumpingof the coolant through the cooling apparatus. The redundant backupblowers are disposed to provided, when activated, a backup airflowacross the one or more electronic systems to facilitate backup airflowcooling thereof. The multiple separate controllers control operation ofthe redundant pumping units and the redundant backup blowers based, atleast in part, on one or more sensed parameters. At least one controllerof the multiple separate controllers activate the redundant backupblowers responsive to the one or more sensed parameters exceeding a setthreshold, and the redundant backup blowers provide, at least in part,backup airflow cooling to the one or more electronic systems in theevent of a degraded performance of the coolant-based cooling apparatusor the redundant pumping units.

In a further aspect, a method is provided which includes: providing acoolant-based cooling apparatus configured to assist in removal of heatgenerated by one or more electronic systems, the coolant-based coolingapparatus comprising at least one heat exchange assembly to dischargeheat from coolant of the coolant-based cooling apparatus; providingredundant pumping units to facilitate pumping of the coolant through thecoolant-based cooling apparatus, and thereby assist in removal of heatgenerated by the one or more electronic systems, and discharge of theheat via the at least one heat exchange assembly, wherein the redundantpumping units are coupled to the coolant-based cooling apparatus inparallel fluid communication to separately provide pumping of thecoolant through the coolant-based cooling apparatus; providing redundantbackup blowers disposed to provided, when activated, a backup airflowacross the one or more electronic systems; and providing multipleseparate controllers, the multiple separate controllers comprising atleast one pumping unit controller for controlling operation of theredundant pumping units, and at least one backup blower controller forcontrolling operation of the redundant backup blowers. The at least onepumping unit controller and the at least one backup blower controlleroperate independently and based, at least in part, on one or more sensedparameters. The at least one backup blower controller activates theredundant backup blowers responsive to the one or more sensed parametersexceeding a set threshold. The redundant backup blowers provide, atleast in part, backup airflow cooling to the one or more electronicsystems in the event of a degraded performance of the coolant-basedcooling apparatus or the multiple pumping units.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniquesof the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the inventionare described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimedinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointedout and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusionof the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, andadvantages of the invention are apparent from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a conventional raised floor layout ofan air-cooled data center;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of a liquid-cooledelectronics rack comprising multiple electronic systems being cooled viaa cooling system, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of an electronic system of an electronics rack andone approach to liquid-cooling of one or more electronic componentswithin the electronic system, wherein the electronic component(s) isindirectly liquid-cooled by system coolant provided by one or moremodular cooling units disposed within the electronics rack, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of one embodiment of a modular cooling unit for aliquid-cooled electronics rack such as illustrated in FIG. 2, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of one embodiment of an electronic system layoutillustrating an air and liquid-cooling approach for cooling electroniccomponents of the electronic system, in accordance with one or moreaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic of one embodiment of a partially air-cooledelectronics rack with liquid-cooling of one or more liquid-to-air heatexchangers, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6B is a partially exploded view of one embodiment of aliquid-to-air heat exchanger mounted in a rack door, which includes aheat exchanger coil and inlet and outlet plenums of a heat exchangesystem for use with an electronics rack such as depicted in FIG. 6A, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of a coolingsystem and coolant-cooled electronic system, which may employ modularpumping units (MPUs), in accordance with one or more aspects of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a coolingsystem cooling one or more electronic systems, which may employ modularpumping units (MPUs), in accordance with one or more aspects of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 depicts an alternate embodiment of a cooling system cooling oneor more electronic systems and utilizing multiple modular pumping units(MPUs), in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an apparatuscomprising a modular pumping unit (MPU) and an MPU controller, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A & 11B are a flowchart of one embodiment of a control processimplemented by a modular pumping unit (MPU) controller, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a control processimplemented by a system-level controller of a cooling system comprisingmultiple modular pumping units (MPUs), in accordance with one or moreaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 13 depicts a further embodiment of a cooling system cooling one ormore electronic systems, and including multiple levels of redundancywhich ensure continued cooling (and thus operation) of the electronicsystem(s), in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentinvention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a cooled electronicassembly comprising one or more electronic systems and anotherembodiment of a multi-level redundant cooling system, in accordance withone or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 15A depicts one detailed embodiment of a partially-assembled,cooled electronic assembly comprising multiple electronic systems and amulti-level redundant cooling system, in accordance with one or moreaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 15B is a partially exploded view of one embodiment of a portion ofthe multi-level redundant cooling system of FIGS. 13 & 15A, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 16A depicts one embodiment of a multichip module of an electronicsystem to be cooled by a multi-level redundant cooling system whichincludes a liquid-cooled cold plate, and backup heat sink fins, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional elevational view of the multichip module,liquid-cooled cold plate, and air-cooled heat sink fins of FIG. 16A,taken along line 16B-16B thereof, in accordance with one or more aspectsof the present invention;

FIG. 17A depicts one embodiment of control processing implemented by,for instance, a system-level controller or a power supply controller ofa cooled electronic assembly such as depicted in FIG. 13, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 17B depicts one embodiment of control processing implemented by,for instance, a backup blower controller to control operation of theredundant backup blowers of a multi-level redundant cooling system, suchas depicted in FIG. 13, in accordance with one or more aspects of thepresent invention;

FIG. 17C depicts one embodiment of control processing implemented by,for instance, a pumping unit controller to control operation of theredundant pumping units of a multi-level redundant cooling system, suchas depicted in FIG. 13, in accordance with one or more aspects of thepresent invention;

FIG. 17D depicts one embodiment of a control process implemented by, forinstance, a fan controller to control operation of redundant fansassociated with the coolant-based cooling apparatus of a multi-levelredundant cooling system, such as depicted in FIG. 13, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 18 depicts one embodiment of a graph of multichip moduletemperature versus fan speed for different combinations of electronicsystems (e.g., number of processor books) and cooling approaches, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 19 depicts one detailed operational example of a cooled electronicassembly, such as depicted in FIG. 13, in accordance with one or moreaspects of the present invention; and

FIG. 20 depicts one embodiment of a computer program productincorporating one or more aspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the terms “electronics rack”, and “rack unit” are usedinterchangeably, and unless otherwise specified include any housing,frame, rack, compartment, blade server system, etc., having one or moreheat-generating components of a computer system, electronic system, orinformation technology equipment, and may be, for example, a stand alonecomputer processor having high-, mid- or low-end processing capability.In one embodiment, an electronics rack may comprise a portion of anelectronic system, a single electronic system, or multiple electronicsystems, for example, in one or more sub-housings, blades, drawers,nodes, compartments, boards, etc., having one or more heat-generatingelectronic components disposed therein or thereon. An electronic systemmay be movable or fixed, for example, relative to an electronics rack,with rack-mounted electronic drawers of a rack unit and blades of ablade center system being two examples of electronic systems (orsubsystems) of an electronics rack to be cooled. In one embodiment, anelectronic system may comprise multiple different types of electroniccomponents, and may be, in one example, a server unit.

“Electronic component” refers to any heat generating electroniccomponent of, for example, an electronic system requiring cooling. Byway of example, an electronic component may comprise one or moreintegrated circuit dies and/or other electronic devices to be cooled,including one or more processor dies, memory dies or memory supportdies. As a further example, an electronic component may comprise one ormore bare dies or one or more packaged dies disposed on a commoncarrier. Further, unless otherwise specified herein, the terms“liquid-cooled cold plate” or “liquid-cooled structure” refer to anyconventional thermally conductive, heat transfer structure having aplurality of channels or passageways formed therein for flowing ofliquid-coolant therethrough.

As used herein, an “air-to-liquid heat exchanger”, “liquid-to-air heatexchanger”, or “coolant-to-air heat exchanger” means any heat exchangemechanism characterized as described herein, across which air passes andthrough which liquid coolant can circulate; and includes, one or morediscrete heat exchangers, coupled either in series or in parallel. Anair-to-liquid heat exchanger may comprise, for example, one or morecoolant flow paths, formed of thermally conductive tubing (such ascopper or other tubing) thermally coupled to a plurality of fins acrosswhich air passes. Size, configuration and construction of theair-to-liquid heat exchanger can vary without departing from the scopeof the invention disclosed herein. A “liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger”may comprise, for example, two or more coolant flow paths, formed ofthermally conductive tubing (such as copper or other tubing) in thermalor mechanical contact with each other. Size, configuration andconstruction of the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger can vary withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention disclosed herein. Further,“data center” refers to a computer installation containing one or moreelectronics racks to be cooled. As a specific example, a data center mayinclude one or more rows of rack-mounted computing units, such as serverunits.

One example of facility coolant and system coolant is water. However,the concepts disclosed herein are readily adapted to use with othertypes of coolant on the facility side and/or on the system side. Forexample, one or more of these coolants may comprise a brine, adielectric liquid, a fluorocarbon liquid, a liquid metal, or othercoolant, or refrigerant, while still maintaining the advantages andunique features of the present invention.

Reference is made below to the drawings (which are not drawn to scalefor ease of understanding), wherein the same reference numbers usedthroughout different figures designate the same or similar components.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a raised floor layout of an air-cooled datacenter 100 typical in the prior art, multiple electronics racks 110 aredisposed in one or more rows. A computer installation such as depictedin FIG. 1 may house several hundred, or even several thousandmicroprocessors. In the arrangement of FIG. 1, chilled air enters thecomputer room via floor vents from a supply air plenum 145 definedbetween the raised floor 140 and a base or sub-floor 165 of the room.Cooled air is taken in through louvered covers at air inlet sides 120 ofthe electronics racks and expelled through the back (i.e., air outletsides 130) of the electronics racks. Each electronics rack 110 may haveone or more air-moving devices (e.g., fans or blowers) to provide forcedinlet-to-outlet air flow to cool the electronic components within thedrawer(s) of the rack. The supply air plenum 145 provides conditionedand cooled air to the air-inlet sides of the electronics racks viaperforated floor tiles 160 disposed in a “cold” aisle of the computerinstallation. The conditioned and cooled air is supplied to plenum 145by one or more air conditioning units 150, also disposed within datacenter 100. Room air is taken into each air conditioning unit 150 nearan upper portion thereof. This room air may comprise (in part) exhaustedair from the “hot” aisles of the computer installation defined byopposing air outlet sides 130 of the electronics racks 110.

FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of a liquid-cooled electronics rack 200comprising a cooling apparatus. In one embodiment, liquid-cooledelectronics rack 200 comprises a plurality of electronic systems 210,which may be processor or server nodes (in one embodiment). A bulk powerassembly 220 is disposed at an upper portion of liquid-cooledelectronics rack 200, and two modular cooling units (MCUs) 230 arepositioned in a lower portion of the liquid-cooled electronics rack forproviding system coolant to the electronic systems. In the embodimentsdescribed herein, the system coolant is assumed to be water or anaqueous-based solution, by way of example only.

In addition to MCUs 230, the cooling apparatus includes a system coolantsupply manifold 231, a system coolant return manifold 232, andmanifold-to-node fluid connect hoses 233 coupling system coolant supplymanifold 231 to electronic systems 210 (for example, to cold platesdisposed within the systems) and node-to-manifold fluid connect hoses234 coupling the individual electronic subsystems 210 to system coolantreturn manifold 232. Each MCU 230 is in fluid communication with systemcoolant supply manifold 231 via a respective system coolant supply hose235, and each MCU 230 is in fluid communication with system coolantreturn manifold 232 via a respective system coolant return hose 236.

Heat load of the electronic systems is transferred from the systemcoolant to cooler facility coolant within the MCUs 230 provided viafacility coolant supply line 240 and facility coolant return line 241disposed, in the illustrated embodiment, in the space between raisedfloor 145 and base floor 165.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates one cooling approach using the coolingapparatus of FIG. 2, wherein a liquid-cooled cold plate 300 is showncoupled to an electronic component 301 of an electronic system 210within the liquid-cooled electronics rack 200. Heat is removed fromelectronic component 301 via system coolant circulating via pump 320through liquid-cooled cold plate 300 within the system coolant loopdefined, in part, by liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger 321 of modularcooling unit 230, hoses 235, 236 and cold plate 300. The system coolantloop and modular cooling unit are designed to provide coolant of acontrolled temperature and pressure, as well as controlled chemistry andcleanliness to the electronic subsystems. Furthermore, the systemcoolant is physically separate from the less controlled facility coolantin lines 240, 241, to which heat is ultimately transferred in thisexample.

FIG. 4 depicts one detailed embodiment of a modular cooling unit 230. Asshown in FIG. 4, modular cooling unit 230 includes a facility coolantloop, wherein building chilled, facility coolant is provided (via lines240, 241) and passed through a control valve 420 driven by a motor 425.Valve 420 determines an amount of facility coolant to be passed throughheat exchanger 321, with a portion of the facility coolant possiblybeing returned directly via a bypass orifice 435. The modular coolingunit further includes a system coolant loop with a reservoir tank 440from which system coolant is pumped, either by pump 450 or pump 451,into liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger 321 for conditioning and outputthereof, as cooled system coolant to the electronics rack to be cooled.Each modular cooling unit is coupled to the system supply manifold andsystem return manifold of the liquid-cooled electronics rack via thesystem coolant supply hose 235 and system coolant return hose 236,respectively.

FIG. 5 depicts another cooling approach, illustrating one embodiment ofan electronic system 210 component layout wherein one or more air movingdevices 511 provide forced air flow 515 in normal operating mode to coolmultiple electronic components 512 within electronic system 210. Coolair is taken in through a front 531 and exhausted out a back 533 of thedrawer. The multiple components to be cooled include multiple processormodules to which liquid-cooled cold plates 520 are coupled, as well asmultiple arrays of memory modules 530 (e.g., dual in-line memory modules(DIMMs)) and multiple rows of memory support modules 532 (e.g., DIMMcontrol modules) to which air-cooled heat sinks may be coupled. In theembodiment illustrated, memory modules 530 and the memory supportmodules 532 are partially arrayed near front 531 of electronic system210, and partially arrayed near back 533 of electronic system 210. Also,in the embodiment of FIG. 5, memory modules 530 and the memory supportmodules 532 are cooled by air flow 515 across the electronics subsystem.

The illustrated cooling apparatus further includes multiplecoolant-carrying tubes connected to and in fluid communication withliquid-cooled cold plates 520. The coolant-carrying tubes comprise setsof coolant-carrying tubes, with each set including (for example) acoolant supply tube 540, a bridge tube 541 and a coolant return tube542. In this example, each set of tubes provides liquid-coolant to aseries-connected pair of cold plates 520 (coupled to a pair of processormodules). Coolant flows into a first cold plate of each pair via thecoolant supply tube 540 and from the first cold plate to a second coldplate of the pair via bridge tube or line 541, which may or may not bethermally conductive. From the second cold plate of the pair, coolant isreturned through the respective coolant return tube 542.

FIG. 6A is a schematic of another embodiment of an electronic system 600comprising a liquid-cooled electronics rack 601 with a plurality ofair-cooled electronic systems 610 disposed, in the illustratedembodiment, horizontally, so as to be stacked within the rack. By way ofexample, each electronic system 610 may be a server unit of arack-mounted plurality of server units. In addition, each electronicsystem may include multiple electronic components to be cooled, which inone embodiment, comprise multiple different types of electroniccomponents having different heights and/or shapes within the electronicsystem. As illustrated, one or more electronic systems 610 comprise anair-cooled heat sink 611 with a plurality of thermally conductive fins661 projecting from the heat sink, through which airflow through theelectronics rack passes. One or more air-moving devices 670 are providedwithin electronic system 610 to facilitate airflow from, for example, anair inlet side to an air outlet side of the liquid-cooled electronicsrack 601. As explained below, the electronics rack is liquid-cooled viathe inclusion of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger at the air outlet sideof the rack.

The cooling apparatus is shown to include one or more modular coolingunits (MCUs) 620 disposed, by way of example, in a lower portion ofelectronics rack 601. Each modular cooling unit 620 may be similar tothe modular cooling unit depicted in FIG. 4, and described above (or maycomprise multiple modular pumping units, as described below withreference to FIGS. 9-12). The modular cooling unit 620 includes, forexample, a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger for extracting heat fromcoolant flowing through a system coolant loop 630 of the coolingapparatus and dissipating heat within a facility coolant loop 619,comprising a facility coolant supply line and a facility coolant returnline. As one example, the facility coolant supply and return linescouple modular cooling unit 620 to a data center facility cooling supplyand return (not shown). Modular cooling unit 620 further includes anappropriately-sized reservoir, pump, and optional filter, for movingliquid-coolant under pressure through system coolant loop 630. In oneembodiment, system coolant loop 630 includes a coolant supply manifold631 and a coolant return manifold 632, which facilitate flow of systemcoolant through, for example, an air-to-liquid heat exchanger 640mounted to an air outlet side (or an air inlet side) of electronics rack601. Air-to-liquid heat exchanger 640 extracts heat from airflow 648egressing from liquid-cooled electronics rack 601. By way of example,one embodiment of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger 640 is describedfurther below with reference to FIG. 6B.

FIG. 6B depicts additional details of one embodiment of an air-to-liquidheat exchanger mounted in a rack door. As shown at the left portion ofthe figure, heat exchanger 640 includes one or more tube sections 641,which in one embodiment, may have a plurality of fins projectingtherefrom. Depending upon the implementation, tube sections 641 maycomprise a single, serpentine channel, or a plurality of discrete heatexchange tube sections coupled together via inlet and outlet plenums631, 632 disposed at the edge of the rack door configured to hingedlymount to the electronics rack. As shown, the one or more heat exchangetube sections are sized to substantially cover the entire opening 645 inthe frame 644 of the door.

In the depicted embodiment, the heat exchange tube sections are fedcoolant by coolant inlet plenum 631 and exhaust coolant via coolantoutlet plenum 632. Flexible hoses (not shown) may be employed forconnecting to hard plumbing disposed near the electronics rack. Thesehoses would be brought into air-to-liquid heat exchanger 640 adjacent tothe hinge axis of the door.

FIG. 6B also illustrates one embodiment of an optional perforated planarsurface 646 is illustrated. First and second such perforated planarsurfaces 646 could be provided for covering first and second main sidesof the heat exchanger. In one embodiment, the perforated planar surfacescomprise metal plates having appropriate air flow openings to allowinlet-to-outlet airflow through the electronics rack to readily passthrough the heat exchanger. One embodiment of airflow openings in theperforated planar surfaces is depicted in FIG. 6B. In this embodiment,the perforated planar surface has a plurality of openings disposedthroughout the plate. As one example, these openings may comprisehexagon-shaped openings which maximize air flow through the perforatedsurfaces, while still providing the desired isolation of the heatexchanger.

Each heat exchange tube section may comprise at least one of acontinuous tube or multiple tubes connected together to form onecontinuous serpentine cooling channel. In the embodiment shown, eachheat exchange tube section is a continuous tube having a first diameter,and each plenum 631, 632, is a tube having a second diameter, whereinthe second diameter is greater than the first diameter. The first andsecond diameters are chosen to ensure adequate supply of coolant flowthrough the multiple tube sections. In one embodiment, each heatexchange tube section may align to a respective electronics subsystem ofthe electronics rack.

Although not shown in FIG. 6B, the heat exchange tube sections furtherinclude a plurality of fins extending from tube(s) 641 to facilitateheat transfer, for example, from air exhausted out the back of theelectronics rack to coolant flowing through the serpentine coolingchannels of the individual heat exchange tube sections. In oneembodiment, the plurality of fins comprise aluminum fins extending fromthe individual tubes, which could be constructed of copper tubing.Further, in one implementation, the fins are brazed to the tubing.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a coolant-cooled electronicsrack and cooling system therefore, in accordance with one or moreaspects of the present invention. In this embodiment, the electronicsrack 700 has a side car structure 710 associated therewith or attachedthereto, which includes an air-to-coolant heat exchanger 715 throughwhich air circulates from an air outlet side of electronics rack 700towards an air inlet side of electronics rack 700. In this example, thecooling system comprises an economizer-based, warm-liquid coolant loop720, which comprises multiple coolant tubes (or lines) connecting, inthe example depicted, air-to-coolant heat exchanger 715 in series fluidcommunication with a coolant supply manifold 730 associated withelectronics rack 700, and connecting in series fluid communication, acoolant return manifold 731 associated with electronics rack 700, acooling unit 740 of the cooling system, and air-to-coolant heatexchanger 715.

As illustrated, coolant flowing through warm-liquid coolant loop 720,after circulating through air-to-coolant heat exchanger 715, flows viacoolant supply plenum 730 to one or more electronic systems ofelectronics rack 700, and in particular, one or more cold plates and/orcold rails 735 associated with the electronic systems, before returningvia coolant return manifold 731 to warm-liquid coolant loop 720, andsubsequently to a cooling unit 740 disposed (for example) outdoors fromthe data center. In the embodiment illustrated, cooling unit 740includes a filter 741 for filtering the circulating coolant, a condenser(or air-to-coolant heat exchanger) 742 for removing heat from thecoolant, and a pump 743 for returning the coolant through warm-liquidcoolant loop 720 to air-to-coolant heat exchanger 715, and subsequentlyto the coolant-cooled electronics rack 700. By way of example, hose barbfittings 750 and quick disconnect couplings 755 may be employed tofacilitate assembly or disassembly of warm-liquid coolant loop 720.

In one example of the warm coolant-cooling approach of FIG. 7, ambienttemperature might be 30° C., and coolant temperature 35° C. leaving theair-to-coolant heat exchanger 742 of the cooling unit. The cooledelectronic system depicted thus facilitates a chiller-less data center.Advantageously, such a coolant-cooling solution provides highly energyefficient cooling of the electronic system(s) of the electronics rack,using coolant (e.g., water), that is cooled via circulation through theair-to-coolant heat exchanger located outdoors (i.e., a dry cooler) withexternal ambient air being pumped through the dry cooler. Note that thiswarm coolant-cooling approach of FIG. 7 is presented by way of exampleonly. In alternate approaches, cold coolant-cooling could be substitutedfor the cooling unit 740 depicted in FIG. 7. Such cold coolant-coolingmight employ building chilled facility coolant to cool the coolantflowing through the coolant-cooled electronics rack, and associatedair-to-coolant heat exchanger (if present), in a manner such asdescribed above.

FIG. 8 depicts another alternate embodiment of a cooled electronicsystem which comprises an electronics rack 800 with multiple electronicsystems (or subsystems) 801, such as the coolant-cooled electronicsystems described above. An air-to-liquid heat exchanger 850 providescooled coolant via a coolant loop 851 to the electronic systems 801within electronics rack 800. A controller 860 provides energy efficientcooling control of the cooling system and electronic system and, in oneembodiment, couples to a pump 852 of air-to-liquid heat exchange unit850 to control a flow rate of coolant through coolant loop 851, as wellas to an air-moving device, such as a fan 853 associated with theair-to-liquid heat exchange unit 850. In addition to sensing pump andfan power or speed (RPMs), controller 860 is coupled to sense a targetedtemperature (T_(target)) at, for example, the coolant inputs to theindividual electronic systems 801, as well as electronic system powerbeing consumed (IT power), and the ambient airflow temperature(T_(cmbient)).

FIG. 8 depicts an example of a cooled electronic system which comprisesa controller (or control system), which may implement reduced powerconsumption cooling control, in accordance with aspects of the presentinvention. Note that as used herein, a controller or control system maycomprise, by way of example, a computer or a programmable logiccontroller. The control system may include, for instance, a processor(e.g., a central processing unit), a memory (e.g., main memory), andmultiple input/output (I/O) connections, interfaces, devices, etc.,coupled together via one or more buses and/or other connections. In oneapplication, the controller or control system couples to a plurality ofsensors, such as temperature, pressure, or position sensors, as well as(optionally) to one or more actuators for controlling, for instance,coolant pump speed, fan speed, or position of one or more recirculationvalves. Note that the input/output sense and control arrangements may beintegrated within the controller or control system, or they may beexternal I/O modules or devices coupled to the controller whichfacilitate the desired sensing and actuation functions.

Typically, the heat exchanger or heat exchange assemblies employed bycooling systems such as described above in connection with FIGS. 2-8comprise conventional, non-modular, plumbing systems, which canintroduce potential leak sites, especially at locations wherefield-servicing requires coolant loops to be broken. Typically, when acoolant leak occurs in an IT rack or electronic system utilizingliquid-cooling to move the heat to a heat sink, the electronic systemneeds to be shut down for repair of the coolant leak. For example, theabove-described solutions to providing liquid-cooling to an IT rack aretypically made up of single, non-redundant components, which requireshutting down of the electronic system or rack to service and/or replacea failed or failing component. Disclosed hereinbelow are enhancedcooling systems which address this issue, and allow for servicing of thecooling system without shutting down the respective electronic system(s)or rack.

Generally stated, disclosed herein is an apparatus which comprises amodular pumping unit (MPU) configured to couple to and facilitatepumping of coolant through a cooling apparatus assisting in removal ofheat generated by one or more electronic systems. The modular pumpingunit is a field-replaceable unit which couples to the cooling apparatusin parallel fluid communication with one or more other modular pumpingunits. In one embodiment, each modular pumping unit includes: a housing;a coolant inlet to the housing; a coolant reservoir tank disposed withinthe housing and in fluid communication with the coolant inlet; a coolantpump disposed within the housing and configured to pump coolant from thecoolant reservoir tank; and a coolant outlet of the housing, the coolantpump being coupled in fluid communication between the coolant reservoirtank and the coolant outlet, wherein the coolant inlet and the coolantoutlet facilitate coupling of the modular pumping unit in fluidcommunication with the cooling apparatus. The apparatus further includesa controller associated with the modular pumping unit. The controllercontrols the coolant pump of the modular pumping unit, and (in oneembodiment) automatically adjusts operation of the coolant pump based,at least in part, upon one or more sensed parameters.

For example, one or more coolant-level sensors may be associated withthe coolant reservoir tank to sense coolant level within the coolantreservoir tank, and the controller may automatically adjust operation ofthe coolant pump based upon the sensed level of coolant within thecoolant reservoir tank. Also, the modular pumping unit may include oneor more coolant temperature sensors disposed to sense temperature ofcoolant passing through the housing, wherein the MPU controllerautomatically adjusts an operational speed of the coolant pump basedupon coolant temperature sensed by the at least one coolant temperaturesensor. If used with a cooling apparatus comprising a coolant-to-airheat exchanger, the MPU may be disposed so that a portion of the airflowacross the coolant-to-air heat exchanger also passes through the MPU,allowing a temperature sensor to be incorporated into the MPU to sensetemperature of airflow across the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. Thissensed ambient air temperature may be employed to, for example,automatically adjust operation of the pump unit. Further details of sucha modular pumping unit are described below in reference to the exemplaryembodiment thereof depicted in FIGS. 9-12. Note in this regard, that theliquid-cooled electronic system of FIG. 9 is presented by way of exampleonly. In particular, the modular pumping units disclosed herein may beemployed with various different cooling apparatuses and systems, such asthose described above in connection with FIGS. 2-8, as discussed furtherbelow.

More specifically, disclosed herein is a modular pumping unit whichcomprises a densely integrated, field-replaceable unit, which in oneembodiment, provides substantially all functional and sensor needs forpumping and monitoring a liquid coolant used to cool, for example, oneor more electronic components (such as one or more processor modules).The modular pumping unit is designed to couple, in parallel with one ormore other modular pumping units, to a cooling apparatus comprising aheat exchange assembly, such as one or more of a liquid-to-liquid heatexchanger, a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger, a coolant-to-airheat exchanger, etc., and may be located internal to, for example, an ITrack, or remotely from the one or more electronics racks or electronicsystems being cooled by the cooling apparatus. In the embodimentsdisclosed herein, the apparatus further comprises a modular pumping unitcontroller, as well as a system-level (or frame-level) controller. Thefull-functional MPU disclosed herein provides coolant of the properchemistry, filtering, and monitoring, to a customer's cooling apparatus,which includes the separate heat exchange assembly, and offers theability of the customer to reject heat from the coolant to (forinstance) the data center's water system, or to ambient air, or even toa refrigerant-based circuit, while cooling the same rack's or system'stemperature-sensitive components. Redundancy at various levels isreadily achieved by connecting in parallel fluid communication two ormore such modular pumping units to, for example, coolant supply andcoolant return manifolds of the cooling apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a liquid-cooledelectronic system comprising, by way of example, an electronics rack 900with multiple electronic systems 901 liquid-cooled via a cooling systemor apparatus 910, which may be disposed internal to electronics rack 900or external, and even remote from the electronics rack. The coolingsystem comprises, in this embodiment, a coolant-to-air heat exchanger920, a coolant return manifold 930, and multiple pumping apparatuses940, 950, each comprising a modular pumping unit 941, 951, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present invention. Advantageously, themodular pumping units 941, 951 are controlled to pump coolant throughcoolant-to-air heat exchanger 920 for distribution via the heatexchanger to, for example, one or more liquid-cooled cold plate (notshown) associated with the respective electronic systems 901. In thisembodiment, the heat exchanger assembly is cooled by ambient air 922,with an airflow being provided by one or more air-moving devices 921. Asexplained further below, an MPU controller 1 942 is associated withfirst MPU 941, and an MPU controller 2 952 is associated with second MPU951. The MPU controllers themselves facilitate cooling system controlvia a system-level controller 960.

In operation, heat generated within the electronic systems 901 isextracted by coolant flowing through (for example) respective coldplates, and is returned via the coolant return manifold 930 and theactive modular pumping unit(s), for example, MPU #1 941 (in one example)to the coolant-to-air heat exchanger 920 for rejection of the heat fromthe coolant to the ambient air passing across the heat exchanger. Inthis example, only one modular pumping unit need be active at a time,and the MPU redundancy allows for, for example, servicing or replacementof an inactive modular pumping unit from the cooling system, withoutrequiring shut-off of the electronic systems or electronics rack beingcooled. By way of specific example, quick connect couplings may beemployed, along with appropriately sized and configured hoses to couple,for example, the heat exchanger, cold plates, return manifold, andpumping units. Redundant air-moving devices 921, with appropriate drivecards, may be mounted to direct ambient airflow across thecoolant-to-air heat exchanger. These drive cards may be controlled bysystem-level controller 960, in one embodiment. By way of example,multiple air-moving devices may be running at the same time.

The MPU controllers associated with the respective MPUs may be disposedon or within the respective MPU or, for example, associated with theMPU. In one embodiment, the MPU controllers can turn on/off therespective coolant pumps, as well as adjust speed of the coolant pump.The state of the MPU is relayed by the MPU controller 942, 952 to thesystem-level controller 960. The system-level controller 960 providessystem level control for, at least in part, the cooling system. Thesystem-level controller may be disposed, for example, within theelectronics rack 900, or remotely from the electronics rack, forexample, at a central data center location. As described below, thesystem-level controller determines, in one embodiment, when switchoverof MPUs is to be made and, for example, determines when an MPU has adefect requiring switchover to a redundant MPU for replacement of thedefective MPU.

As noted, although depicted in FIG. 9 with respect to a coolant-to-airheat exchanger, the field-replaceable, modular pumping units disclosedherein may provide pumped coolant (such as water) for circulationthrough various types of heat exchange assemblies, including acoolant-to-air heat exchanger, a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, arack-mounted door heat exchanger, a coolant-to-refrigerant heatexchanger, etc. Further, the heat exchange assembly may comprise morethan one heat exchanger, including more than one type of heat exchanger,depending upon the implementation. The heat exchange assembly, or moregenerally heat rejection device, could be within the liquid-cooledelectronics rack, or positioned remotely from the rack.

The modular pumping unit(s) comprises a recirculation coolant loopwhich: receives exhausted coolant from the electronics rack into acoolant reservoir tank, pressurizes the coolant via a coolant pump (suchas a magnetically coupled pump), passes the pressurized coolant througha check valve, and discharges the coolant back to the electronic systemsof the electronics rack via the heat exchange assembly.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a modular pumpingunit, which may be employed with, for example, the cooling apparatusdescribed above in connection with FIG. 9. In the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 10, modular pumping unit 1000 comprises a housing 1010 with acoolant inlet 1011 and a coolant outlet 1013. (In one implementation,housing 1010 may comprise a fluid-tight housing.) A coolant inlet quickconnect coupling 1012 at coolant inlet 1011 and a coolant outlet quickconnect coupling 1014 at coolant outlet 1013 are provided forfacilitating coupling of the MPU to, for example, a cooling apparatussuch as described above in connection with FIG. 9.

The modular pumping unit 1000 further comprises a coolant loop 1001within the housing through which coolant received via the coolant inletis re-circulated to the coolant outlet. As illustrated, coolant loop1001 couples in fluid communication coolant inlet 1011 to a coolantreservoir tank 1015 and couples coolant reservoir tank 1015 via acoolant pump 1016 to coolant outlet 1013. A check valve 1019 is alsoprovided within the coolant loop 1001 to prevent backflow of coolantinto the modular pumping unit when the modular pumping unit is off, butcoupled in fluid communication with the cooling apparatus. In oneexample, the coolant pump 1016 comprises a centrifugal pump, and aportion of the coolant pumped from coolant reservoir tank 1015 via thecoolant pump 1016 is returned via a coolant return line 1017 through acoolant filter 1018 to the coolant reservoir tank 1015. One or morecoolant fill or drain connections 1020, 1021 may be provided at housing1010 into coolant reservoir tank 1015 to, for example, facilitatefilling or draining of coolant or air from the coolant reservoir tank,and thereby facilitate field-replaceability of the modular pumping unitin parallel fluid communication with one or more other modular pumpingunits, without requiring shutdown of the respective electronic systemsor electronics rack being cooled.

Advantageously, modular pumping unit 1000 further comprises multiplesensors, and has associated therewith an MPU controller 1030 forfacilitating automated monitoring of coolant passing through the MPU, aswell as operation of the MPU itself. In the depicted embodiment, modularpumping unit 1000 comprises, for example, a lower-level coolantreservoir sensor LV1, an upper-level coolant reservoir sensor LV2, anoutlet pressure sensor P1, a coolant flow rate sensor F1, multiplecoolant temperature sensors T1, T2 & T3, an ambient airflow temperaturesensor T4, and a coolant leak sensor LK1. In one embodiment, thesesensors are disposed within the MPU and allow the controller to control,for example, operation and/or an operational speed of coolant pump 1016,in order (for example) to provide an appropriate level of cooling to theelectronic systems or rack. The MPU controller reads the sensed valuesand responds to the sensor values, along with providing diagnosticinformation to the system-level controller (such as described above inconnection with FIG. 9). The sensors also provide information which canassist in the initial filling of the modular pumping unit, and thecooling system, and can indicate the need to, for example, top off acoolant level or to remove air pockets, as well as provide an indicationthat the coolant pump does not have sufficient coolant, requiring thecoolant pump to be shut off to prevent damage. The sensors also providediagnostic information to the system-level controller which can be usedto determine, for example, the operational state of the modular pumpingunit, and to act on that information.

FIGS. 11A & 11B depict one embodiment of a control process implemented,for example, by an MPU controller of a modular pumping unit, such asdescribed above in connection with FIGS. 9 & 10. Upon initiating MPUcontrol 1100, the MPU controller obtains (for example, every t1 seconds)current sensor readings of the associated modular pumping unit 1105.Processing determines whether the leak sensor (LK1) indicates that thereis a coolant leak 1110. If “yes”, then the controller shuts off theMPU's coolant pump, and signals the system-level controller that thereis a coolant leak 1115 (at which point the system-level controllerswitches the redundant modular pumping unit (or one of the redundantunits) on to take over the pumping load for the cooling apparatus).Assuming that the leak sensor (LK1) does not indicate a coolant leak,then the MPU controller provides the system-level controller with a noleak status indication 1120.

The control process also determines whether both level sensors in thecoolant reservoir tank indicate the presence of coolant 1125. If “no”,then processing determines whether the lower-level sensor indicates thepresence of coolant 1130, and if “no” again, determines whether theupper-level sensor indicates the presence of coolant 1135. If neithersensor indicates the presence of coolant, then the MPU controllerprovides a no coolant indication to the system-level controller, andshuts off the MPU's coolant pump 1140. Alternatively, if the upper-levelsensor indicates the presence of coolant but not the lower-level sensor,then a bad coolant level signal is provided to the system-levelcontroller, since an invalid sensor state has been identified 1145. Ifthe lower-level sensor indicates the presence of coolant but not theupper-level sensor, then a bad coolant level indication is provided tothe system-level controller, indicating that coolant needs to be addedto the coolant reservoir tank 1150. If both level sensors indicate thepresence of coolant, then a good coolant level indication is provided tothe system-level controller 1155.

Additionally, the MPU controller may provide a coolant outlet pressurereading and a coolant flow reading to the system-level controller, forexample, for diagnostic purposes 1160. The MPU controller may alsodetermine the temperature of the coolant flowing, for example, to theMPU outlet 1165 (see FIG. 11B). This may be ascertained via a singletemperature sensor, or multiple temperature sensors. In the embodimentof FIG. 10, three temperature sensors T1, T2, & T3, are employed. Avalid average temperature for these temperature sensors may be created.Any value outside a possible acceptable range would not be included inthe average, and if obtained, a bad status indication may be provided bythe MPU controller to the system-level controller. In oneimplementation, the temperature differences may be ascertained (forexample, T1-T2, T1-T3, and T2-T3). If the values are below a certainthreshold, then the average of T1, T2 and T3 may be obtained. If thevalues are outside a limit or a range, then a poor coolant temperatureis identified, and an appropriate status indication is provided to thesystem-level controller. In the embodiment of FIG. 11B, the MPUcontroller determines whether the coolant temperature is within a setrange 1170, and if “no”, forwards the bad coolant temperature value(s)to the system-level controller 1175.

Advantageously, the MPU controller may also utilize coolant temperatureto adjust, for instance, speed of the one or more air-moving devices 921(FIG. 9) to, for example, maintain coolant temperature close to adesired value 1180. After this automatic adjustment of the coolant pump,processing may wait time interval t1 1185 before obtaining a new set ofsensor readings 1105. In one example, time interval t1 may be 1 second.

FIG. 12 depicts one embodiment of processing implemented by asystem-level controller. In this example, upon initiating system-levelmonitoring and control of the MPUs 1200, processing determines whetherthe running MPU's coolant level in the coolant reservoir tank is abovean upper operational level 1205, for example, at or above theupper-level sensor in the coolant reservoir tank of FIG. 10. If “no”,then service personnel is signaled to perform a coolant fill process forthe active MPU 1210. Processing also determines whether the MPU coolantlevel is at or above a lower acceptable threshold 1215, and if “yes”,whether the running MPU's coolant flow and pressure are above acceptablerespective thresholds 1220. If either is “no”, then a spare modularpumping unit that is coupled to in parallel fluid communication with therunning MPU is started 1225, after which the previously running MPU ispowered off and replaced 1230. Processing then waits a time interval t2before again checking the coolant level within the coolant reservoirtank 1235. Assuming that the coolant level is acceptable, and that theflow and pressure readings are acceptable, the system-level controllerascertains one or more temperatures of the electronic system beingcooled 1240, and determines whether the sensed electronic systemtemperature(s) is above an upper acceptable temperature threshold 1245.If so, then the system-level controller automatically adjustsoperational speed of the one or more air-moving devices 921 (FIG. 9) tomaximum to attempt reduction in the sensed system temperature 1250.After adjusting operational speed, or if system temperature isacceptable, processing determines whether it is time to switch thepumping function from the active, running MPU, to a spare MPU coupled inparallel fluid communication 1255. If “no”, processing waits time t21235 before repeating the processing. If “yes”, then the system-levelcontroller initiates operation of a spare MPU, runs the two MPUs inparallel for a set time interval, and then deactivates the previouslyrunning MPU 1260, thereby accomplishing the switchover of the pumpingload from the previously running MPU to the recently-started MPU. Afterswitching pumping operation, processing waits time t2 1235, before againrepeating the above-described processing.

Advantageously, disclosed hereinabove (in one implementation) is amodular pumping unit comprising a field-replaceable unit that comprises,for example, a single dense housing containing a multitude of functionaland sensor requirements for a liquid-cooled electronic system including(for instance): coolant pumping; a reservoir for slowing down coolant toallow any entrained air to leave the coolant, as well as providing alocation to replace any entrained air with coolant during a fillprocess; level sensing; leak sensing; ambient air temperature sensing;coolant flow rate sensing; pressure sensing; liquid filtering; drain andfill locations that enable draining and filling of the field-replaceableunit with coolant, either connected or disconnected from the fullcooling apparatus; and an MPU controller comprising, for example, an MPUdrive or control card which may be readily accessed, and therebyreplaced by service personnel, if required.

Advantageously, provided herein (in one aspect) is an ability tofield-service the above-noted modular pumping unit as a singlefield-replaceable unit, with the functionality thereof beingconcurrently maintained via at least one other MPU coupled therewith inparallel fluid communication to the cooling apparatus. A single MPU as afield-replaceable unit completes the cooling system, with the additionto several passive components, that is, a heat exchange assembly and oneor more cold plates, along with interconnecting hoses. Advantageously,multiple MPUs may be operated in parallel to, for example, increaseliquid coolant flow rate to a downstream heat exchanger and cold plates.To provide redundancy, at least one MPU is maintained as a spare MPU.That is, if only one MPU is required, then two MPUs are coupled inparallel fluid communication. If four active MPUs are desired at a time,then five or more MPUs are coupled in parallel fluid communication.

As noted, the heat exchanger (or heat exchange assembly) through whichliquid coolant from the MPU is pumped may exchange its heat to, forexample, air or other coolant or refrigerant, or other type of liquid.In this manner, a single MPU may be developed and qualified for manydifferent heat sink applications. Further, the location of the heatexchanger may be within the electronics rack being cooled, or remotefrom the rack or electronic system, perhaps used in common with otherelectronics racks or systems within a data center. Associated with eachMPU is an MPU controller which is used, in part, to read and respond tovarious MPU sensors, as well as control flow of coolant through the MPU(as described above by way of example only). A system-level controllermay also be associated with the multiple parallel-connected MPUs. Thesystem-level controller may read information from the multiple MPUs, andmake control decisions to ensure that the cooling system runsuninterrupted, as well as control flows, as described above in oneexample with reference to FIG. 12.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a multi-level redundant coolingsystem which facilitates cooling of one or more electronic systems of,for instance, an electronics rack. Electronic systems, such as high-endservers, may have processors and/or multichip modules with power densitycharacteristics that make them difficult to air-cool only. For instance,an electronic system may have individual processors, each dissipating inexcess of 300 Watts, packaged in a dense, multichip module, with totalpower exceeding 2000 Watts dissipated within, for instance, a 100 mm×100mm area. Direct air-cooling to long-term reliable temperatures is notviable at these power rates. Additionally, the electronic systems atissue typically require continuous 24×7×365 operation, withoutinterruption, for many years.

Cooling such high-powered systems or modules requires liquid coolantpropelled by mechanical devices, such as the above-described modularpumping units. Air-moving devices may also be used to facilitateultimate rejection of the coolant's heat to ambient air. Each of thesemechanical devices is subject to failure modes from wear, vibration,fatigue, and other modes that are found in mechanical rotatingequipment.

Additionally, when water or other coolant is the primary coolant, thecooling system requires plumbing, which invariably introduces leakagesites, particularly at locations where field service requires thecoolant loops to be broken. Traditionally, when such a plumbing leakoccurs in a liquid-cooled electronic system, the entire system needs tobe shut down for repair, thereby disrupting customer operation.

Disclosed hereinbelow with reference to FIGS. 13-20 are certainenhanced, multi-level redundant cooling systems for facilitating coolingof one or more electronic systems, such as described above. Inparticular, the multi-level redundant cooling systems disclosed hereinfacilitate cooling high-powered multichip modules, provide maximumprotection to processor frequency, and enable virtually all failuremodes of the cooling system to be concurrently serviced, withoutinterruption of the electronic system(s). The cooling system disclosedemploys multiple levels of cooling redundancy to achieve this. In oneembodiment, it is assumed that the multichip module power density ishigh enough that full circuit frequency cannot be supported long-term bydirect air-cooling alone. In the example described below, a primaryliquid-based cooling system is presented, where heat is ultimatelyrejected to air via an air-to-liquid heat exchanger. All activecomponents in the cooling system, that is, components that involverotating machinery or control electronics that are most likely to befailure sites, are fully redundant. Additionally, a secondary cooling(or backup cooling) subsystem is provided that employs temporary, directair-cooling of the high-heat dissipating components (such as a multichipmodule comprising multiple processor chips). Although the backupenhanced air-cooling is less effective than the primary liquid-cooling,operation of the electronic system is allowed to continue. In thismanner, a multi-level redundant cooling system is presented, which isprimarily liquid-cooled, and is fully redundant should any electronic ormechanical moving component fails, and which includes, in the rareinstance of failure of the primary coolant system (such as the case in acoolant leak), automatic, temporary backup air-cooling of the electronicsystem to allow the system to continue to function, for instance, atreduced frequency, while the primary liquid-cooling system is beingrepaired or replaced, thereby eliminating cooling as a source ofelectronic system (e.g., server) downtime.

In one aspect, disclosed herein is a cooling system which includes acoolant-based cooling apparatus that assists in removal of heatgenerated by one or more electronic systems of, for instance, anelectronics rack. The coolant-based cooling apparatus includes one ormore heat exchange assemblies, such as one or more coolant-to-air heatexchangers (or radiators) that discharge heat from coolant of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus. In one embodiment, the coolant maycomprise water or an aqueous-based solution. As noted, the coolingsystem is multi-level redundant. This redundancy includes, redundantpumping units, redundant backup blowers, and multiple separatecontrollers controlling the redundant pumping units and redundant backupblowers. The redundant pumping units may comprise redundant, modularpumping units, such as those described above. These pumping unitsfacilitate pumping of coolant through the coolant-based coolingapparatus to assist in removal of heat generated by the electronicsystem(s), and discharge of the heat via the at least one heat exchangeassembly. The redundant pumping units are coupled to the coolant-basedcooling apparatus in parallel fluid communication to separately providepumping of coolant through the cooling apparatus. In one implementation,the pumping units are sized and configured to separately, individuallyprovide the desired coolant pumping through the cooling system. However,dependent on the particular mode (e.g., normal mode or failure mode) ofthe cooling system, one or both coolant pumps may be operational ornon-operational, as described below.

The redundant backup blowers of the cooling system are disposed toprovide a backup (or auxiliary) airflow across the one or moreelectronic systems, for instance, in the event of a failure of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus, or the redundant pumping units, orenvironmental conditions outside of a specified envelope. The multipleseparate controllers may include, for instance, redundant pumping unitcontrollers, and redundant backup blower controllers. In one embodiment,the multiple separate controllers may be configured, at least in part,as separate drive cards and be independently operable, and associatedwith a respective pumping unit or backup blower. In an enhancedimplementation, redundant fans are associated with the at least one heatexchange assembly to facilitate an airflow across the at least one heatexchange assembly, and thereby discharge of heat from coolant of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus passing through the at least one heatexchange assembly. These redundant fans may also have redundant fancontrollers associated therewith. The multiple separate controllers maybe coupled in communication with a system-level controller, whichcoordinates system-level functions of the cooling system. Each of thepumping units controllers and backup blower controllers controls (in oneembodiment) operation of at least the respective pumping unit or backupblower based, at least in part, on one or more sensed parameters. In oneembodiment, the one or more sensed parameters comprise one or moremonitored temperatures associated with the one or more electronicsystems to be cooled. For instance, each electronic system of multipleelectronic systems may have associated therewith one or more temperaturesensors to monitor respective temperatures. In such a case, the multipleseparate controllers may take action based on, for instance, a highestmonitored temperature, as explained further below. The backup blowercontrollers activate at least one or both of the redundant backupblowers, responsive to the one or more sensed parameters exceeding a setthreshold to provide backup or auxiliary air-cooling of the one or moreelectronic systems, for instance, in the event of a degraded performanceof the coolant-based cooling apparatus or the redundant pumping units.

Advantageously, the multi-level redundancy of the cooling system(s)disclosed herein allows for the cooling system(s) to remain operational,notwithstanding failure of any two of the cooling system's rotatingmechanical devices or their associated control cards, such as theredundant pumping units, redundant backup blowers, redundant fans, ortheir separate controllers. Further, the multi-level redundant coolingsystem remains operational during servicing, for instance, of one of theredundant pumping units, the redundant pumping unit controllers, theredundant backup blowers, the redundant backup blower controllers, theredundant fans, or the redundant fan controllers. Additionally, themulti-level redundant cooling system disclosed herein allows for theelectronic system(s) to remain operational, notwithstanding failure ofthe liquid-coolant-based portion of the cooling system, for instance, afailure of the coolant-based cooling apparatus as might be the case witha leak associated with (for example) the one or more coolant-to-air heatexchangers of the cooling apparatus. In such a case, the backup (orauxiliary) airflow subsystem is automatically activated to facilitatecontinued operation of the one or more electronic systems, althoughpossibly with degraded performance using, for instance, cycle steering.Cycle steering is described in detail in various prior publicationsand/or patent applications of International Business MachinesCorporation, including, for instance, U.S. Patent Publication No.2007/0044491 A1.

By way of further example, reference a publication by Goth et al,entitled “Hybrid Cooling with Cycle Steering in the IBM eServer z990”,IBM Journal of Research and Development, Volume 48, Issue: 3.4, pages409-423 (May 2004). Briefly summarized, as (for instance) CMOS circuitsbecome warmer, cycle steering allows for an automatic or inherentswitching of the transistors at a slower frequency. Thus, when (forinstance) processor circuits are being cooled to a higher temperature(for example, due to a transient condition such as using back-upair-cooling only), then processor switching frequency may be reduced.This reduction in frequency lowers the compute capacity of theprocessors, but allows the processors to continue operation. Whentemperature increases, “leakage” currents will also increase, and powerincrease in the circuits may be substantial. Thus, as part of cyclesteering, voltage to the circuits is lowered as well, which helps toreduce any leakage current.

In another embodiment, redundant power supplies are also provided topower the one or more electronic systems. The redundant power suppliesmay include redundant power supply controllers which function, at leastin part, to shut down the one or more electronic systems should, forinstance, a monitored control temperature at the one or more electronicsystems exceed a highest acceptable temperature, that is, in order toprevent hardware damage.

As noted, the multiple controllers are separate, and potentiallyindependent, of each other, with one embodiment of the control processimplemented by the multiple separate controllers being described furtherbelow with reference to FIGS. 17A-19.

FIGS. 13-16B depict embodiments of a cooled electronic assembly whichcomprises multiple electronic systems and a multi-level redundantcooling system, such as disclosed herein.

Referring first to FIG. 13, a schematic diagram of one embodiment ofsuch a multi-level redundant cooling system is shown to comprise, by wayof example, an electronics rack 1300 with multiple electronic systems1301, liquid-cooled via a coolant-based cooling apparatus 1310, whichmay be disposed internal to electronics rack 1300 or, in an alternateimplementation, external, and even remote from, electronics rack 1300.The multi-level redundant cooling system comprises, in this embodiment,a coolant-to-air heat exchanger 1320, a coolant return manifold 1330,and multiple pumping apparatuses 1340, 1350, each comprising a modularpumping unit (MPU) 1341, 1351, in accordance with one or more aspects ofthe present invention. In one implementation, the multiple pumping unitsare redundant, and are controlled to pump coolant through coolant-to-airheat exchanger 1320 for distribution via the heat exchanger to, forexample, one or more liquid-cooled cold plates (see FIG. 16B) associatedwith the respective electronic systems 1301. In this embodiment, theheat exchanger assembly is cooled by ambient air, with an airflow 1322being provided by one or more air-moving devices, such as redundant fans1321. In the depicted embodiment, redundant fans 1321 are independentlycontrolled by redundant fan controllers 1323. As noted herein, redundantMPU controllers are also provided. These redundant controllers includean MPU controller 1 1342 associated with first MPU 1341, and an MPUcontroller 2 1352, associated with second MPU 1351.

In the embodiment of FIG. 13, the multi-level redundant cooling systemfurther includes redundant backup blower apparatuses 1360, 1370, each ofwhich comprises a backup blower 1361, 1371, in accordance with one ormore aspects of the present invention. Note that although referred toherein as a backup blower, the redundant backup or auxiliary air-coolingprovided by the redundant backup blowers may be implemented using anyredundant air-moving devices, such as (for instance) fans or blowers.Advantageously, the redundant backup blowers 1361, 1371 are controlledto provide auxiliary (or supplemental) air-cooling to the electronicsystems 1301 when operational by drawing an airflow 1365 intoelectronics rack 1300, and across the electronic systems 1301. Airflowducting 1366 may be provided between redundant backup blowers 1361, 1371and electronic systems 1301 to facilitate movement of airflow across theelectronic systems, through the redundant backup blowers 1361, 1371, aswell as facilitate rejection of heated airflow 1365′ from electronicsrack 1300. In the depicted embodiment, backup blower controller 1 1362is associated with backup blower 1 1361, and backup blower controller 21372 is associated with backup blower 2 1371.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 13, redundant, adjustable powersupplies 1302 are also provided for powering electronic systems 1301.These redundant, adjustable power supplies 1302 are controlled, in oneembodiment, via redundant power supply controllers 1303, wherein, in oneinstance, each power supply controller of the redundant power supplycontrollers controls a respective adjustable power supply of theredundant, adjustable power supplies 1302.

The multiple redundant controllers, including redundant pumping unitcontrollers 1342, 1352, redundant fan controllers 1323, redundant powersupply controllers 1303, and redundant backup blower controllers 1362,1372, are (in one embodiment) implemented as separate controllerscontrolling the associated pumping unit, fan, power supply, or backupblower. These multiple controllers are (in one embodiment) independentof each other, and facilitate cooling system control via, for instance,communication with a system-level controller 1380, which may be disposedwithin electronics rack 1300, or remote from the electronics rack.

In operation, heat generated within the electronic systems 1301 andextracted by coolant flowing through (for example) respective coldplates, is returned via the coolant return manifold 1330 and the activemodular pumping unit(s) (MPU), for example, MPU1 1341 (in one example)to the coolant-to-air heat exchanger 1320 for rejection of the heat fromthe coolant to the ambient air 1322 passing across the heat exchanger.In operation, only one modular pumping unit may (depending on the mode)be active at a time, and the MPU redundancy allows for, for example,servicing or replacement of an inactive modular pumping unit from thecooling system, without requiring shut-off of the electronic systems orelectronics rack being cooled. By way of specific example, quick connectcouplings may be employed, along with appropriately sized and configuredhoses to couple, for example, the heat exchanger, cold plates, returnmanifolds, and pumping units. Redundant air-moving devices, that is,redundant fans 1321, with appropriate, redundant drive cards orcontrollers 1323, may be mounted to direct ambient airflow across theair-to-coolant heat exchanger. These controllers may be in communicationwith system-level controller 1380, in one embodiment. In one normal modeimplementation, the multiple fans 1321 or other air-moving devices, maybe running at the same time.

As noted, auxiliary (or backup) air-cooling may be provided across theelectronic systems 1301, for instance, in the case of a failure of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus 1310 which requires shut-off of coolantflow to the electronic systems 1301. In such a case, airflow 1365 isdrawn through the rack from an air inlet side to an air outlet sidethereof via redundant backup blowers 1361, 1371 and appropriate airflowducting 1366. Note in this regard, that in one embodiment, the auxiliaryairflow cooling apparatus, that is, the redundant backup blowers, aredisposed above the multiple electronic systems within the electronicsrack, and the coolant-based cooling apparatus 1310 is disposed below themultiple electronic systems to be cooled, as in the schematic of FIG.13. As noted, in one embodiment, redundant adjustable power supplies1302 power electronic systems 1301, and are controlled by redundantpower supply controllers 1303. The separate redundant controllers,including the redundant pumping unit controllers, redundant fancontrollers, redundant backup blower controllers, and redundant powersupply controllers, may be on or within the respective component beingcontrolled or, for example, associated with that component. In oneembodiment, the pumping unit controllers can turn on/off the respectivecoolant pump 1341, 1351, as well as adjust speed of the coolant pump,the fan controllers 1323 can turn on/off the receptive fan 1321, as wellas adjust speed of the fan, the power supply controllers can turn on/offthe respective power supply 1302, as well as adjust the frequency andvoltage of power supplied to the electronic systems 1301 (for instance,in accordance with a cycle steering approach), such as described herein,and the backup blower controllers 1362, 1372, can turn on/off therespective backup blower 1361, 1371, as well as adjust speed of thebackup blower. The controllers may turn on/off and adjust speeds of therespective components in accordance with one or more control processes,such as the control process described hereinbelow with reference toFIGS. 17A-19.

The states of the multiple redundant controllers can be relayed tosystem-level controller 1380. The system-level controller 1380 mayprovide system-level control for, at least in part, the cooling system,and (as noted) may be disposed, for example, within electronics rack1300, or remote from the electronics rack, for example, at a centraldata center location. As described below, the system-level controllerdetermines, in one embodiment, when switch-over of MPUs is to be made,and (for example) determines when an MPU has a defect requiringswitch-over to a redundant MPU for replacement of the defective MPU. Inaddition, the system-level controller may determine when a defect in thecoolant-based cooling apparatus requires activation of the auxiliaryairflow across the electronic systems.

As noted, although depicted in FIG. 13 with respect to a coolant-to-airheat exchanger, the multi-level redundant cooling system(s) disclosedherein may provide pumped coolant (such as water) for circulationthrough various types of heat exchange assemblies, including acoolant-to-air heat exchanger, a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, arack-mounted door heat exchanger, a coolant-to-refrigerant heatexchanger, etc. Further, the heat exchange assembly may comprise morethan one heat exchanger, including more than one type of heat exchanger,depending upon the implementation. The heat exchange assembly, or moregenerally, heat rejection device, could be within the liquid-cooledelectronics rack, or positioned remotely from the rack.

FIG. 14 is a schematic of an enhanced embodiment of an electronics rack1400 comprising, for instance, coolant-based cooling apparatus 1310,multiple electronic systems 1301, and auxiliary airflow apparatus 1355,such as the redundant backup blower apparatuses 1360, 1370 of FIG. 13.In this embodiment, a primary air-moving device 1401 is also provided toprovide a primary airflow 1402 across the electronic systems 1301. Inone implementation, in normal mode operation, airflow 1322 is drawnthrough coolant-based cooling apparatus 1310 via one or more fans 1321(see FIG. 13), and a primary airflow 1402 is drawn across electronicsystems 1301 via primary air-moving device 1401. In a failure mode, forinstance, in the case of shut-down of the coolant-based coolingapparatus 1310, auxiliary airflow apparatus 1405, such as theabove-described, redundant backup blowers 1360, 1370 of the multi-levelredundant cooling system described above in connection with FIG. 13, maybe activated to provide a backup or auxiliary airflow 1403 to supplementthe primary airflow, and thereby temporarily provide temporary, enhancedairflow cooling of electronic systems 1301, for instance, as needed forrepair or replacement of one or more components of the coolant-basedcooling apparatus 1310, while allowing the electronic system(s) toremain operational.

As noted, FIGS. 15A-16B depict one detailed embodiment of a cooledelectronic assembly comprising a multi-level redundant cooling system,such as disclosed herein. Referring collectively to FIGS. 15A & 15B,multiple electronic systems, such as multiple processor books 1501, aredisposed in one embodiment over a coolant-based cooling apparatus 1510(such as the coolant-based cooling apparatus 1310 described above inconnection with FIG. 13). Note with reference to FIG. 15A the placementof coolant-based cooling apparatus 1510 directly below the multipleelectronic systems, or processor books 1501 to be cooled. In normaloperation, liquid-based cooling is provided by the multi-level redundantcooling system through the flowing coolant and the cold platesassociated with the multiple electronic systems (e.g., processor books).Heat is dissipated to ambient air drawn through the coolant-basedcooling apparatus 1510 via, for instance, fans, blowers, or otherair-moving devices 1521, having associated redundant fan controllers1523, such as the fans and fan controllers described above in connectionwith the cooling system embodiment of FIG. 13. Further, as with themulti-level redundant cooling system of FIG. 13, the coolant-basedcooling apparatus 1510 of the specific embodiment depicted in FIGS.15A-15B includes a coolant-to-air heat exchanger 1520, and redundantpumping apparatuses 1540, 1550, as well as a coolant return manifoldassembly 1530. In FIG. 15B, one cold plate assembly 1505 is alsodepicted (by way of example), which would be coupled in fluidcommunication with the coolant supply manifold assembly of thecoolant-to-air heat exchanger 1520, and be coupled in thermalcommunication with (for instance) a processor book (or multichip module)1501 of the electronic system being cooled.

FIGS. 16A & 16B depict one example of an electronic system, such as aprocessor book 1501 (FIGS. 15A & 15B), to be cooled employing amulti-level redundant cooling system such as disclosed herein. Referringcollectively to FIGS. 16A & 16B, the electronic system is shown tocomprise a processor book, or more generally, a multichip module 1600comprising (for instance) multiple processors 1601 and support chips,such as cache chips 1602, packaged into a module which includes (in oneinstance) a centrally disposed temperature sensor 1604 that monitors atemperature of the multichip module. This monitored module temperaturemay be used as the monitored control temperature (i.e., one example of asensed parameter) by which control of the various redundant componentsdescribed herein may be based. A heat spreader 1610 is provided in thisexample to facilitate distribution and conduction of heat to aliquid-cooled cold plate 1620, which as illustrated in thecross-sectional view of FIG. 16B, may comprise multiple coolant-carryingchannels 1621. A plurality of air-cooled heat sink fins 1630 areattached to the back side of coolant-cooled cold plate 1620 tofacilitate transfer of heat to a backup airflow passing across theair-cooled heat sink fins 1630 (for example, in a failure mode). Notethat in one embodiment, heat sink 1610 might comprise multipleadjustable conductive plugs 1611 aligned, for instance, to theprocessors 1601 arrayed within the multichip module. These plugs may beprovided to facilitate good conduction of heat from the processors tothe coolant-cooled cold plate 1620. Note also that the specificmultichip module example of an electronic system to be cooledillustrated in FIGS. 16A & 16B is provided by way of example only, andthat the multi-level redundant cooling system disclosed herein can beemployed with any electronic system requiring cooling. However, thepackaging density and heat dissipation specifications of a multichipmodule (e.g., processor book) such as illustrated in FIGS. 16A &16Bdictate an aggressive cooling system implementation, such as disclosedherein.

In one implementation, the air-cooled heat sink fins attached to theback side of coolant-cooled cold plate 1620 may be coupled via backupblower ducting to redundant backup blowers, which may be selectivelyactivated as described herein, for instance to facilitate cooling of theelectronic system(s) during repair of the coolant-based coolingapparatus of the multi-level redundant cooling system. Another valuablefunction of this backup air-cooling subsystem for a predominantlyliquid-cooled cooling approach, is that the backup subsystem providesadditional (or auxiliary) cooling, above and beyond what theliquid-cooling system can itself provide. This may be useful in a casewhere the redundant active components of the primary liquid-cooledcooling apparatus have partially failed, with the cooling available forthe primary liquid-cooled path being slightly diminished. Also, in thecase where the customer is running a highly unusual application programthat consumes more power than the electronic system (e.g., server) wasintended to support, or in the case where one or more of theenvironmental parameters that the customer is operating in (forinstance, ambient temperature or altitude) are slightly higher than theelectronic system was specified to support. In such cases, the auxiliarydirect air-cooling provided by the backup blower apparatuses beingturned on concurrently, with the still-functioning primary cooling loop,may advantageously allow the customer to maintain full frequency systemoperation, even if the customer's application or the environment withinwhich the customer is operating, is beyond specified levels normallysupported by the electronic system and/or cooling system.

In one embodiment, control of the coolant-based cooling apparatus,including the redundant pumping units and redundant fans, as well as theredundant backup blowers, and electronic system temperature protection,are independent of each other. Various control processes may be providedto achieve this independence. Described hereinbelow with reference toFIGS. 17A-19 are several detailed examples of control processes whichmay be implemented by a multi-level redundant cooling system, such asdescribed herein.

In general, certain nominal conditions of the cooling system may bestated. These include that one pumping unit is on, and the other pumpingunit of the redundant pumping units is off during normal operation. Uponpassage of a set time, such as once a week, the pumping units may switchstates. During the transition, both pumping units may be on for a periodof time, for instance, ten minutes, to verify that the pumping unitturning on is free of fault. Further, in normal operation mode, bothfans associated with the heat exchange assembly may be on, and bothbackup blowers, may be off. Outage or repair modes may include repair ofone pump unit, which as noted above, may comprise a modular,field-replaceable pump unit, while the second pump unit is operatingnormally. In such a case, there is minimal thermal impact to theelectronic systems being cooled. In another outage/repair mode, one fanof the redundant fans associated with the heat exchange assembly, or onefan controller of the redundant fan controllers, may have a fault andrequire repair/replacement. In one embodiment, these components are alsofield-replaceable units, and in such a repair mode, the remainingoperating fan functions in a “high speed” state to temporarily make upfor the lost airflow while the fan or fan controller with the fault isreplaced or repaired. Should the entire liquid-based cooling apparatushave a fault, as might be the case with a coolant leak, then the backupblowers are activated for a period of time in order to allow for repairor replacement of the fault. Combined with activation of the backupblowers, reduced frequency operation of the electronic systems may beemployed in order to ensure continued operation of the cooled electronicassembly.

In one implementation, the pumping units are monitored for a hardwarefault, and the backup blowers are monitored for a hardware fault aswell. These monitored fault conditions may be employed (for instance) asdiscussed further below in connection with the control processes ofFIGS. 17C & 17D, respectively. Component faults may be monitoredemploying a number of measurements. For instance, detecting faults in acooling system may be via: (1) reading temperature of one or moremonitored components (such as thermistor temperature at the module hat(see FIGS. 16A-16B); (2) ascertaining temperature of returning coolantor supplied coolant to the electronics; or (3) by measuring current to,for instance, the pump motor, which may serve as an indicator of acoolant flow problem, etc. As described herein, and as depicted (forinstance) in FIG. 19, component temperature (such as hat thermistortemperature) may be employed independently to trigger on the back-upblowers or fans to provide auxiliary cooling, and to also adjust speedof the back-up blowers, as required. This is shown in FIG. 17B, anddescribed below. Note that in accordance with the concepts disclosedherein, it does not matter that an over-temperature condition is causedby no coolant, restricted coolant flow, or room ambient temperatureabove a supported temperature level for full frequency operation of theone or more air-moving devices cooling the coolant, etc. For these andany other reasons, the back-up blowers simply respond to, for instance,multichip module hat temperature, and are activated and adjusted whenset thresholds are crossed.

Note that in the detailed control process examples of FIGS. 17A-19,numerous set point temperatures are employed by the control processingin order to determine actions to be taken or removed. These temperatureset points are provided herein by way of specific example only, and notby way of limitation. That is, those skilled in the art will understandthat more or less temperature set points may be employed in one or moreof the control processes described herein, and/or different temperatureset points may be employed. Still further, different sensed parametersother than monitored control temperature(s) may be used to controloperation of the multi-level redundant cooling system. In one example,another sensed parameter might comprise power drawn by the respectiveelectronic systems.

FIG. 17A depicts one embodiment of a control process for controlling(for example) processor function and providing damage protection 1700for an electronic system being cooled. In this process example, whichmay be implemented (for instance) by each power supply controller of theredundant power supply controllers, one or more component or controltemperatures (T_(c)) are obtained 1702. For instance, each electronicsystem may have a temperature sensor associated with a respectivemultichip module, and the highest monitored control temperature may beemployed in the control processes described herein. Processing initiallydetermines whether the monitored control temperature(s) is less than,for instance 51° C. 1704, and if “yes”, then the power supply is set tooperate the electronic system, or more particularly, the processors, atfull frequency with specified normal voltage 1706, after whichprocessing waits a time interval t 1701 before again obtaining themonitored control temperature 1702, and repeating the process.

As illustrated, various temperature ranges are defined, each with anassociated respective degraded performance level, achieved using (forinstance) cycle steering for continued operation of the electronicsystem, as summarized above. Assuming that the monitored controltemperature(s) (T_(c)) is at or above 51° C., then processing determineswhether the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) is at or below 59°C. 1708. If “yes”, then power supply is adjusted to operate theelectronic system (and in particular, the multichip module comprisingthe multiple processors) in a first degrade step for both frequency andvoltage 1710, after which processing waits time interval t 1701 beforeagain obtaining the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) 1702.Assuming that the monitored control temperature (T_(c)) is greater than59° C., then processing determines whether the monitored controltemperature is less than or equal to 72° C., that is, is in a range of60° C.-72° C. 1712. If “yes”, then the power supply is adjusted tooperate the electronic system in a second degrade step for bothfrequency and voltage 1714, after which processing waits time interval t1701 before again obtaining the monitored control temperature(s).Assuming that the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) is greaterthan 72° C., processing determines whether the monitored controltemperature (T_(c)) is less than or equal to 87° C. 1716, that is, in arange between 73° C.-87° C. If so, then the power supply is adjusted tooperate the electronic system (or more particularly, the multichipmodule comprising the multiple processors) in a third degrade step forboth frequency and voltage 1718, after which processing returns to waittime interval t 1701 before again obtaining the monitored controltemperature(s) 1702. In this example, if the monitored controltemperature(s) (T_(c)) is greater than 87° C., then power to theelectronic system(s) is turned off 1720 to protect the electronicsystem(s).

FIG. 17B depicts one embodiment of a control process for backup blowercontrol 1724, which may be implemented, for instance, by each backupblower controller of the redundant backup blower controllers. Thiscontrol process includes obtaining the monitored control temperature(s)(T_(c)) 1726, and comparing the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c))to various set point temperatures. In a first comparison, processingdetermines whether the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) isgreater than or equal to a first, highest temperature, such as 66° C.1728. If “yes”, then the backup blowers are active and set to a highestspeed, for example, 4000 RPMs 1730, after which processing waits a timeinterval t 1732, before again obtaining the monitored controltemperature(s). Assuming that the monitored control temperature(s)(T_(c)) is less than, for instance, 66° C., then processing determineswhether the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) is greater than orequal to a second, lower set point temperature, such as 51° C. 1734, andif “yes”, then the speed of the active backup blowers is reduced 1736,for instance, to 3500 RPMs. Thereafter, processing waits time interval t1732, before again obtaining the monitored control temperature(s).Assuming that the monitored control temperature (T_(c)) is less than 51°C., then processing determines whether the monitored control temperature(T_(c)) is greater than or equal to a third, lower set pointtemperature, such as 47° C. 1738. If “yes”, then the controllers set theactive backup blower speeds to, for instance, 2300 RPMs, plus 300 RPMsfor every 1° C. above 47° C. 1740, after which processing waits timeinterval t 1732 before again obtaining the monitored controltemperature(s). Assuming that the monitored control temperature(s)(T_(c)) is less than 47° C., then (in this example) processingdetermines whether the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) is belowa lower cutoff temperature for operation of the backup blowers. Forinstance, processing determines whether the monitored controltemperature (T_(c)) is less than 44° C. 1742, and if “yes”, processingturns off the backup blowers 1744. Otherwise, processing returns to waittime interval t 1732 before again obtaining the monitored controltemperature(s) 1726.

FIG. 17C depicts one example of cooling system pump unit control 1750,in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention. In oneexample, this process control could be implemented by each pumping unitcontroller of the redundant pumping unit controllers of a multi-levelredundant cooling system, such as described above in connection withFIG. 13. In addition to the process overview depicted in FIG. 17C,processing may turn on both pumping units if, for instance, a fill anddrain tool is currently being employed to fill or drain coolant from themulti-level redundant cooling system. Note further, that the processingof FIG. 17C may be performed every few seconds, and is provided by wayof example only.

Initially, processing determines whether power is off to the electronicsystem(s) 1752, and if “yes”, turns off the pumping units 1754.Processing then waits a time interval t 1756, such as three seconds,before again evaluating the electronic system power state. Assuming thatthe electronic system power is on, then processing determines whetherboth pumping units have faults 1758, and if “yes”, turns both pumpingunits on 1760, after which processing waits time interval t 1756 beforeagain repeating the control loop. Assuming that both pumping units donot have faults, then processing determines whether one pumping unit hasa fault 1762, and if “yes”, processing turns on the pumping unit withoutthe fault, and turns off the pumping unit with the fault, that is, afterthe pumping unit without the fault has been running, for instance, forten minutes 1764. Thereafter, processing waits time interval t 1756,before again repeating the process.

Assuming that the electronic system(s) power is on, and that neitherpumping unit has a fault, processing determines whether either pumpingunit is on, and if “no”, turns on both pumping units 1768, before againwaiting time interval t 1756, and repeating the processing loop.Assuming that at least one pumping unit is on 1766, processingdetermines whether both pumping units have been on for greater than tenminutes 1770, and if so, turns off the pumping unit that has been onlonger 1772, before waiting time interval t 1756, and repeating theprocess. Assuming that both pumping units have not been on for longerthan ten minutes, then processing determines whether one of the pumpingunits has been on for greater than a set operational time interval, suchas one week 1774. If “yes”, then control processing turns both pumpingunits on, and after a period of concurrent operation (e.g, 10 minutes),turns off the pumping unit that has been on longer 1776, after whichprocessing returns to wait time interval t 1756, and repeat the loop.Assuming that one pumping unit has not been on for more than the setoperational time interval, then processing determines whether themonitored control temperature is greater than a set point temperature,such as 43° C. 1778, and if “yes” turns on both pumping units 1780 toprovide additional coolant flow through the liquid-cooled portion of themulti-level redundant cooling system. Thereafter, processing returns towait time interval t 1756, before again repeating the process.

Assuming that the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) is notgreater than, for instance, 43° C., then processing determines whetherthe monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) is greater than a lower setpoint, such as 39° C. 1782, and if so, turns on both pumping units, withone pumping unit being operated at normal speed, and the other pumpingunit being operated at a lower speed, that is, a speed lower than thenormal speed 1784. Thereafter, or if the monitored controltemperature(s) (T_(c)) is not greater than 39° C., processing returns towait time interval t 1756, before again repeating the process loop.

FIG. 17D depicts one example of fan controller processing 1786implemented, for instance, by the redundant fan controllers discussedabove. Initially, processing determines whether the electronic system(s)(for instance, the multichip module containing the multiple processors)is powered on 1788, and if “no”, turns off the redundant fans 1790associated with the heat exchange assembly of the coolant-cooled coolingapparatus of the cooling system 1791. Thereafter, processing waits atime interval t 1792, for instance, three seconds, before againrepeating the process loop. Assuming that the electronic system(s) ispowered on 1788, then processing obtains various parameters, including(for instance) ambient temperature (T_(c)), ambient pressure (P_(a)),number of processor books (e.g., number of electronic systems) installedin the cooled electronic assembly, and the monitored controltemperature(s) (T_(c)). Processing then determines whether either fan ofthe redundant fans has a fault 1796.

If “no”, then processing enters block 1798, where predetermined fanspeed data, such as the monitored control temperature(s) (T_(c)) versusthe fan speed chart depicted in FIG. 18, may be employed to determine acurrent fan speed, using (for instance) the monitored ambienttemperature (T_(a)), ambient pressure (P_(a)), and number of activeprocessor books, as variables.

As shown in FIG. 18, for different numbers of books (or differentnumbers of electronic systems) and different states of cooling systemoperation, that is, whether liquid-based cooling alone is employed,backup blower airflow cooling alone is employed, or both liquid-coolingand backup blower cooling are employed together, monitored controltemperature (T_(c)) (such as the hat-thermistor temperature of amultichip module) can be experimentally determined as a function of fanspeed associated with the one or more heat exchange assemblies. Thisinformation can then be plotted (or provided in a data structure) foraccess by the fan controller in a process loop, such as depicted in FIG.17D. In the example of FIG. 18, it is assumed that the hat-thermistortemperature of the multichip module (such as depicted in FIGS. 16A &16B) is plotted for a 2000 Watt multichip module, and assumes a 27° C.ambient temperature.

Within block 1798, the fan controller may determine a fan speed byincreasing fan speed 10 RPMs for every 0.05° C. processor temperatureabove, for instance, 42° C. Further, processing may determine a maximumfan speed of 3300 RPMs with pressure over 90 kpa, 3500 RPMs withpressure above 80 kpa to 90 kpa, and 3800 RPMs with pressure less than80 kpa. The fan speed may then be set to the lower of the determinedspeed, or the maximum speed of the fan. After adjusting fan speed inaccordance with the control processes of 1798, processing returns towait time interval t 1792 before again evaluating whether electronicsystem power is on 1788.

Returning to inquiry 1796, if there is a fan with a fault, thenprocessing proceeds to block 1799, where it is determined whether theambient temperature is greater than, for instance 28° C. If so, then fanspeed may be (by way of example) determined to be 3000 RPMs, plus 10RPMs for every 0.05° C. control temperature above 44° C. Alternatively,if the ambient temperature is less than or equal to 28° C., fan speedmay be determined to be 2000 RPMs, plus 10 RPMs for every 0.05° C.control temperature above 44° C. Additionally, the controller determinesa maximum fan speed of 3300 RPMs with pressure over 90 kpa, 3500 RPMswith pressure from 80 kpa to 90 kpa, and 3800 RPMs with pressure lessthan 80 kpa, and sets the fan to the lower of the determined speed, orthe maximum speed. After setting speed of the operating fan, thecontroller returns to wait time interval t 1792, before again proceedingthrough the process loop.

FIG. 19 depicts one detailed embodiment of processing implemented by thecooling component controllers of a multi-level redundant cooling systemsuch as described herein. In this embodiment, the cooling componentcontrollers and the system-level controller facilitate turning on andoff the secondary coolant loop (that is, the redundant backup blowers)in concert with functioning of the primary coolant loop (that is, thecoolant-based cooling apparatus), so that (for instance) a maximum ordesired amount of cooling is provided to protect the electronic system'sfrequency and power level in any ambient, heat load, or primary coolantcondition. In this example, backup blower and power system voltage andfrequency controls are activated or adjusted based on, for instance,primary liquid and secondary air-coolant subsystem states. In thisdesign, the multiple redundancy hardware components, with associatedfirmware (or controllers), maximizes available cooling, and henceprocessor frequency, and ensures no cooling outages, notwithstanding thepresence of multiple concurrent failures or fault conditions within thecooling system.

In the detailed example of FIG. 19, certain of the control processes ofFIGS. 17A-18 are documented in a single control flow. As describedabove, control actions may be determined by a highest temperature sensorreading of multiple temperature sensors employed within the one or moreelectronic systems to be cooled. In the lower left corner of FIG. 19, innormal operation, the temperature of the sensors associated with theelectronic system(s) are all below 42° C. In this state, power andfrequency to the electronic systems are at specified normal settings.Once the highest thermistor reading exceeds 42° C., the speed of thefans associated with the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is incremented by,for instance, 100 RPMs per 0.5° C. change. This incremental increasingof fan speed continues to occur until 51° C. At 47° C., the backupblowers are activated, and at 51° C., a first degrade step is entered,where frequency to the electronic system(s) is degraded by a set amount,for instance, by 3.3%. This degrade step is to implement, in oneexample, the above-summarized cycle steering approach.

As temperature continues to rise to, for instance, 55° C., voltage tothe electronic system is decreased by 2%. Upon reaching 59° C., a seconddegrade step is entered, where frequency is again degraded by, forinstance, 9%. A rise in temperature to 62° C. results in furtherdecrease in voltage to the electronic systems of, approximately 3%. At66° C., the speed of the backup blowers is increased to a maximum, forinstance, 4000 RPMs. Upon reaching 72° C., a third degrade step isentered, where frequency to the electronic systems is decreased further,for instance, by 15%, and upon reaching 75° C., voltage to theelectronic systems is decreased by an additional 3%. If temperature ofthe highest thermistor reaches 87° C., then a multichip moduleover-temperature condition has occurred, and the electronic systems arepowered off, to await repair of the cooling system. Note that the systemmay remain in one or more of the degrade states for a period of hours,or days, depending upon the fault or environmental condition causing theover-temperature reading.

Upon executing repair to the cooling system, cooling system operationmay return, following the right branch of the plot, from anover-temperature condition down to, for instance 71° C., where voltageor power supply to the electronic systems is increased by 3%, andfrequency may be increased to degrade step 2. Upon reaching 62° C., thebackup blowers may be slowed to, for instance, 3500 RPMs, and uponreaching 58° C., power to the electronic systems may be increased by anadditional 3%, and frequency may be increased to degrade step 1 fromdegrade step 2. Upon reaching 51° C., the backup blowers may bedeactivated, and power to the electronic circuits increased by anadditional 2%. Once all temperature thermistor readings are at or below48° C., then the system is returned to normal in terms of frequency andvoltage applied. At 44° C., the backup blowers are turned off, and at42° C. and below, fan speed of the fans providing the airflow across theone or more heat exchange assemblies is reduced to a specified normalspeed.

Note that in the above example, there is no cycle time hysteresis. Thecycle time will only return to normal. Voltage change hysteresis may beapproximately 40° C., and backup blower speed change hysteresis isassumed to be “none” when incrementing. The maximum degrade mode reachedduring a failure scenario will remain in effect until a successfulrepair returns temperature and voltage to normal.

Those skilled in the art will note from the above description that themulti-level redundant cooling systems disclosed herein providesufficient redundancy for all mechanical moving components of thecooling system, including electronic drive cards and sensors to beconcurrently replaceable. Backup blowers and associated drive cards arealso concurrently replaceable. The backup blowers provide backup (orauxiliary) air-cooling of the one or more electronic systems to becooled, for instance, in the case of a degraded performance of theprimary, liquid-based cooling apparatus. The separate backup blowers mayprovide an auxiliary air-cooling to be used either alone, for instance,at below full-frequency processor speeds, for (for example) servicing ofthe coolant-based cooling apparatus in a situation requiring completeshut-down of the coolant-based cooling apparatus. In this manner, evenleaks to the plumbing hardware may be serviced without shut-down of theelectronic systems or the cooling system cooling the electronic systems.Additionally, the backup blowers may be used in conjunction with apartial degrade of the primary cooling system, such as in the case of afailed fan in the primary cooling circuit, which allows full-frequencyoperation of the electronic systems to proceed. Still further, theseparate, redundant backup blowers may be employed to direct airflowacross the electronic systems to enhance cooling of, for instance, aprocessor, and thus operation of the processor at a specifiedfull-frequency, even in the case where an application program consumesmore power than the system is rated for. Still further, the backupblowers provide enhanced cooling of the electronic system(s), allowingthe system to continue operating at full frequency, even in the casewhere the ambient conditions the electronic system is functioning in areoutside of a specified envelope, for instance, may have a higher ambienttemperature, or lower atmospheric pressure, than the system was normallyintended to support.

As a specific advantage, the multichip module-level heat sink disclosedherein provides multiple parallel paths for heat removal, that is,through coolant flowing through the liquid-cooled cold plates, and theairflow passing across a plurality of air-cooled heat sink fins. Thesensed parameters may comprise one or more monitored controltemperatures, such as hat-thermistor temperatures associated with one ormore multichip modules or processor books of one or more electronicsystems.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, one or more controlaspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method orcomputer program product. Accordingly, one or more control aspects ofthe present invention may take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware,resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining softwareand hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a“circuit,” “module” or “system”. Furthermore, one or more controlaspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer programproduct embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) havingcomputer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readablestorage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example,but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitablecombination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustivelist) of the computer readable storage medium include the following: anelectrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computerdiskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document,a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that cancontain or store a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Referring to FIG. 20, in one example, a computer program product 2000includes, for instance, one or more non-transitory computer readablestorage media 2002 to store computer readable program code means orlogic 2004 thereon to provide and facilitate one or more aspects of thepresent invention.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing an appropriate medium, including but not limited to, wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for one or moreaspects of the present invention may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object orientedprogramming language, such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language, assembler or similar programming languages. Theprogram code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on theuser's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

One or more control aspects of the present invention are describedherein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagramsof methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products accordingto embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each blockof the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinationsof blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of one or more control aspects of the present invention. Inthis regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may representa module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or moreexecutable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

In addition to the above, one or more aspects of the present inventionmay be provided, offered, deployed, managed, serviced, etc. by a serviceprovider who offers management of customer environments. For instance,the service provider can create, maintain, support, etc. computer codeand/or a computer infrastructure that performs one or more controlaspects of the present invention for one or more customers. In return,the service provider may receive payment from the customer under asubscription and/or fee agreement, as examples. Additionally oralternatively, the service provider may receive payment from the sale ofadvertising content to one or more third parties.

In one aspect of the present invention, an application may be deployedfor performing one or more control aspects of the present invention. Asone example, the deploying of an application comprises providingcomputer infrastructure operable to perform one or more control aspectsof the present invention.

As a further aspect of the present invention, a computing infrastructuremay be deployed comprising integrating computer readable code into acomputing system, in which the code in combination with the computingsystem is capable of performing one or more aspects of the presentinvention.

As yet a further aspect of the present invention, a process forintegrating computing infrastructure comprising integrating computerreadable code into a computer system may be provided. The computersystem comprises a computer readable medium, in which the computermedium comprises one or more aspects of the present invention. The codein combination with the computer system is capable of performing one ormore control aspects of the present invention.

Although various embodiments are described above, these are onlyexamples. Further, other types of computing environments can benefitfrom one or more aspects of the present invention.

As a further example, a data processing system suitable for storingand/or executing program code is usable that includes at least oneprocessor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through asystem bus. The memory elements include, for instance, local memoryemployed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, andcache memory which provide temporary storage of at least some programcode in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved frombulk storage during execution.

Input/Output or I/O devices (including, but not limited to, keyboards,displays, pointing devices, DASD, tape, CDs, DVDs, thumb drives andother memory media, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directlyor through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also becoupled to the system to enable the data processing system to becomecoupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storagedevices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cablemodems, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the available types ofnetwork adapters.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” (andany form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (andany form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any formof include, such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (and anyform contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-endedlinking verbs. As a result, a method or device that “comprises”, “has”,“includes” or “contains” one or more steps or elements possesses thoseone or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing onlythose one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or anelement of a device that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains”one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is notlimited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, adevice or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured inat least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are notlisted.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below, if any, areintended to include any structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description of the present invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of one or more aspects of the invention and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand one or more aspects of the invention for various embodimentswith various modifications as are suited to the particular usecontemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooling system comprising: a coolant-basedcooling apparatus configured to assist in removal of heat generated byone or more electronic systems, the coolant-based cooling apparatuscomprising at least one heat exchange assembly to discharge heat fromcoolant of the coolant-based cooling apparatus; redundant pumping unitsto facilitate pumping of the coolant through the coolant-based coolingapparatus and thereby assist in removal of heat generated by the one ormore electronic systems, and discharge of the heat via the at least oneheat exchange assembly, wherein the redundant pumping units are coupledto the coolant-based cooling apparatus in parallel fluid communicationto separately provide pumping of the coolant through the coolant-basedcooling apparatus; redundant backup blowers disposed to provide, whenactivated, an auxiliary airflow across the one or more electronicsystems to facilitate, at least in part, airflow cooling thereof; andmultiple separate controllers, the multiple separate controllerscontrolling operation of the redundant pumping units and the redundantbackup blowers based, at least in part, on one or more sensedparameters, wherein at least one controller of the multiple separatecontrollers activates the redundant backup blowers responsive to the oneor more sensed parameters exceeding a set threshold, the redundantbackup blowers providing, at least in part, backup airflow cooling tothe one or more electronic systems in the event of degraded performanceof the coolant-based cooling apparatus or the redundant pumping units.2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the multiple separatecontrollers comprise redundant pumping unit controllers, each pumpingunit controller of the redundant pumping unit controllers beingassociated with and controlling operation of a respective pumping unitof the redundant pumping units, and wherein the multiple separatecontrollers further comprise redundant backup blower controllers, eachbackup blower controller of the redundant backup blower controllersbeing associated with and controlling operation of a respective backupblower of the redundant backup blowers, and wherein the cooling systemremains operational, notwithstanding failure of any two of the redundantpumping units, the redundant pumping unit controllers, the redundantbackup blowers, and the redundant backup blower controllers.
 3. Thecooling system of claim 1, wherein the redundant backup blowers aredisposed above the one or more electronic systems, and wherein thecooling system further comprises backup airflow ducting whichfacilitates directing the backup airflow across the one or moreelectronic systems when one or both of the redundant backup blowers areactivated.
 4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the multipleseparate controllers comprise at least one pumping unit controllercontrolling operation of the redundant pumping units, at least onebackup blower controller controlling operation of the redundant backupblowers, and at least one power supply controller controlling operationof redundant power supplies powering the one or more electronic systems,wherein the at least one pumping unit controller, the at least onebackup blower controller, and the at least one power supply controlleroperate independently to respectively control operation of the redundantpumping units, the redundant backup blowers, and the redundant powersupplies.
 5. The cooling system of claim 4, further comprising redundantfans disposed to provide an airflow across the at least one heatexchange assembly, and wherein the multiple separate controllerscomprise at least one fan controller controlling operation of theredundant fans, the at least one fan controller operating independentlyof the at least one pumping unit controller, the at least one backupblower controller, and the at least one power supply controller tocontrol operation of the redundant fans.
 6. The cooling system of claim4, wherein the multiple separate controllers comprise redundant pumpingunit controllers, redundant backup blower controllers, and redundantpower supply controllers, each controller of the redundant pumping unitcontrollers, backup blower controllers, and power supply controllers,operating independently to control operation of its respective pumpingunit, backup blower, or power supply.
 7. The cooling system of claim 1,further comprising at least one power supply providing power to the oneor more electronic systems, and wherein the multiple separatecontrollers comprise at least one power supply controller, the at leastone power supply controller facilitating powering, via the at least onepower supply, the one or more electronic systems at a specifiedfrequency and voltage when a control temperature is below a lowertemperature threshold, and turning off the at least one power supplywhen the control temperature exceeds an upper temperature threshold, thecontrol temperature being one sensed parameter of the one or more sensedparameters, and the at least one power supply controller furtherdegrading, at least in part, frequency and voltage of power supplied bythe at least one power supply to the one or more electronic systems withprogression of the control temperature from the lower temperaturethreshold to the upper temperature threshold.
 8. The cooling system ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more sensed parameters comprise at least onemonitored control temperature, and wherein the multiple separatecontrollers comprise at least one backup blower controller controllingoperation of one or both of the redundant backup blowers, the at leastone backup blower controller automatically adjusting speed of theredundant backup blowers with temperature changes to the at least onemonitored control temperature above a lower temperature threshold, andbelow the lower temperature threshold, the at least one backup blowercontroller automatically turning off the redundant backup blowers. 9.The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensed parameterscomprise at least one monitored control temperature, and wherein themultiple separate controllers comprise at least one pumping unitcontroller, the at least one pumping unit controller automaticallyswitching pumping operation between the redundant pumping unitsresponsive to detection of a fault in one pumping unit of the redundantpumping units, the automatically switching operation comprisingoperating both pumping units in parallel for a period of time, andsubsequent to the period of time, deactivating the one pumping unit ofthe redundant pumping units with the detected fault.
 10. The coolingsystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensed parameters comprise atleast one monitored control temperature, and wherein the multipleseparate controllers comprise at least one pumping unit controller, theat least one pumping unit controller automatically operating bothpumping units of the redundant pumping units responsive to the at leastone monitored control temperature exceeding a first thresholdtemperature, with one pumping unit of the redundant pumping units beingoperated at a specified normal speed, and another pumping unit of theredundant pumping units being operated at a lower speed, lower than thespecified normal speed.
 11. The cooling system of claim 10, wherein theat least one pumping unit controller operates the one pumping unit atthe specified normal speed, and the another pumping unit of theredundant pumping units at the specified normal speed when the at leastone monitored control temperature exceeds a second temperaturethreshold, wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than thefirst temperature threshold.
 12. The cooling system of claim 1, furthercomprising redundant fans associated with the coolant-based coolingapparatus and facilitating providing an airflow across the at least oneheat exchange assembly to assist in discharge of heat from coolant ofthe coolant-based cooling apparatus to the airflow passing across the atleast one heat exchange assembly, and the multiple separate controllerscomprising at least one fan controller controlling operation of theredundant fans providing the airflow across the at least one heatexchange assembly, the at least one fan facilitating controllerautomatically adjusting operational speed of the redundant fans withchanges in ambient air temperature.
 13. The cooling system of claim 12,wherein the at least one fan controller automatically determines anoperational speed for at least one fan of the redundant fans based, atleast in part, on ambient temperature and pressure.
 14. A cooledelectronic assembly comprising: an electronics rack, the electronicsrack comprising one or more electronic systems; and a cooling system forcooling the one or more electronic systems, the cooling systemcomprising: a coolant-based cooling apparatus configured to assist inremoval of heat generated by one or more electronic systems, thecoolant-based cooling apparatus comprising at least one heat exchangeassembly to discharge heat from coolant of the coolant-based coolingapparatus; redundant pumping units to facilitate pumping of the coolantthrough the coolant-based cooling apparatus and thereby assist inremoval of heat generated by the one or more electronic systems, anddischarge of the heat via the at least one heat exchange assembly,wherein the redundant pumping units are coupled to the coolant-basedcooling apparatus in parallel fluid communication to separately providepumping of the coolant through the coolant-based cooling apparatus;redundant backup blowers disposed to provide, when activated, anauxiliary airflow across the one or more electronic systems tofacilitate, at least in part, airflow cooling thereof; and multipleseparate controllers, the multiple separate controllers controllingoperation of the redundant pumping units and the redundant backupblowers based, at least in part, on one or more sensed parameters,wherein at least one controller of the multiple separate controllersactivates the redundant backup blowers responsive to the one or moresensed parameters exceeding a set threshold, the redundant backupblowers providing, at least in part, backup airflow cooling to the oneor more electronic systems in the event of degraded performance of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus of the redundant pumping units.
 15. Thecooled electronic assembly of claim 14, wherein the coolant-basedcooling apparatus and the redundant pumping units are disposed withinthe electronics rack below the one or more electronic systems, andwherein the redundant backup blowers are disposed within the electronicsrack above the one or more electronic systems, and the cooling systemfurther comprises backup airflow ducting which facilitates directing thebackup airflow across the one or more electronic systems when theredundant backup blowers are activated.
 16. The cooled electronicassembly of claim 15, wherein the one or more electronic systemscomprises one or more multichip modules, and wherein the coolant-basedcooling apparatus further comprises one or more coolant-cooled coldplates coupled in thermal communication via one or more heat spreaderswith the one or more multichip modules, and wherein one coolant-cooledcold plate of the one or more coolant-cooled cold plates comprises aplurality of air-cooled fins extending from a main surface thereof, theplurality of air-cooled fins facilitating backup airflow cooling of theone or more multichip modules when the redundant backup blowers areactivated.
 17. The cooled electronic assembly of claim 15, furthercomprising at least one primary air-moving device configured andpositioned to provide a primary airflow across the one or moreelectronic systems concurrent with coolant-based cooling thereof by thecoolant-based cooling apparatus, wherein the redundant backup blowersprovide auxiliary-airflow cooling to the one or more electronic systemswhen activated, the auxiliary-airflow cooling being provided concurrentwith the primary airflow cooling provided by the at least one air-movingdevice.
 18. The cooled electronic assembly of claim 14, wherein themultiple separate controllers comprise redundant pumping unitcontrollers, each pumping unit controller of the redundant pumping unitcontrollers being associated with and controlling operation of arespective pumping unit of the redundant pumping units, and wherein themultiple separate controllers further comprise redundant backup blowercontrollers, each backup blower controller of the redundant backupblower controllers being associated with and controlling operation of arespective backup blower of the redundant backup blowers, and whereinthe cooling system remains operational, notwithstanding failure of anytwo of the redundant pumping units, the redundant pumping unitcontrollers, the redundant backup blowers, and the redundant backupblower controllers.
 19. The cooled electronic assembly of claim 14,wherein the multiple separate controllers comprise at least one pumpingunit controller controlling operation of the redundant pumping units, atleast one backup blower controller controlling operation of theredundant backup blowers, at least one power supply controllercontrolling operation of redundant power supplies powering the one ormore electronic systems, and at least one fan controller controllingoperation of redundant fans providing an airflow across the at least oneheat exchange assembly, wherein the at least one pumping unitcontroller, the at least one backup blower controller, the at least onepower supply controller, and the at least one fan controller operateindependently to respectively control operation of the redundant pumpingunits, the redundant backup blowers, the redundant power supplies, andthe redundant fans.
 20. A method comprising: providing a coolant-basedcooling apparatus configured to assist in removal of heat generated byone or more electronic systems, the coolant-based cooling apparatuscomprising at least one heat exchange assembly to discharge heat fromcoolant of the coolant-based cooling apparatus; providing redundantpumping units to facilitate pumping of the coolant through thecoolant-based cooling apparatus and thereby assist in removal of heatgenerated by the one or more electronic systems, and discharge of theheat via the at least one heat exchange assembly, wherein the redundantpumping units are coupled to the coolant-based cooling apparatus inparallel fluid communication to separately provide pumping of thecoolant through the coolant-based cooling apparatus; providing redundantbackup blowers disposed to provide, when activated, a backup airflowacross the one or more electronic systems; and providing multipleseparate controllers, the multiple separate controllers comprising atleast one pumping unit controller for controlling operation of theredundant pumping units, and at least one backup blower controller forcontrolling operation of the redundant backup blowers, the at least onepumping unit controller and the at least one backup blower controlleroperating independently and based, at least in part, on one or moresensed parameters, wherein the at least one backup blower controlleractivates the redundant backup blowers responsive to the one or moresensed parameters exceeding a set threshold, the redundant backupblowers providing, at least in part, backup airflow cooling to the oneor more electronic systems in the event of a degraded performance of thecoolant-based cooling apparatus or the multiple pumping units.